The forest areas of the country have become picturesque with the cuckoo calls and chirping of summer birds. The forest is becoming resonant with the melodious sounds of birds. At present, some birds are nesting in forests, grasslands and agricultural lands. Some are struggling to raise their chicks. These birds have come here after traveling hundreds of miles in search of suitable places.

In recent times, the habitat of migratory birds has been shrinking. Encroachment on border areas, use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture and forest fires have caused problems for birds. This has added challenges to the daily life, reproduction and livelihood of birds. Which has also affected the migration of birds.
The international 'World Migratory Bird Day' is celebrated to raise awareness about the safe migration of birds. This day is celebrated worldwide on the second Saturday of May and October every year. This time, the migration day falls on Baisakh 26.

Although birds are an excellent destination for tourism, climate change has recently affected the migration cycle of birds, said senior ornithologist Dr. Hemsagar Baral. 'Birds that have to go from one place to another for food and shelter are reaching another place,' he said, 'The challenge has increased when going to a new destination. Visitor birds have become natives.' He said that due to lack of good food and shelter, birds are facing problems in raising their chicks.
Pollution of rivers and lakes, use of pesticides in water resources, environmental pollution and poaching have affected migratory birds. Ornithologist Krishna Prasad Bhusal said that World Migration Day is being celebrated to create an environment for unhindered movement by working together globally to protect feeding grounds, habitats and flight paths. ‘This has raised awareness even if it is a little,’ he said, ‘we should work towards making it more effective.’

Birds migrate to Nepal twice a year. In winter, wetlands are full of ducks and other waterfowl. In summer, they return to their native habitats. After the winter birds return, birds that prefer forests, shrublands, grasslands and agricultural lands come. Birds travel regularly from breeding areas to grazing areas every year according to the season. This is called bird migration.

Birds migrate from one place to another, from one country to another, and from one continent to another in search of favorable weather, safe habitat, food, and breeding. In winter, more than 150 species of birds, including chakhewa, chkhevi, khoya, nakta, khadkhade, furke, sindure, nadun, sunjure, and belchathude, migrate to Nepal.

Winter visitors come to Nepal from Russia, China, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, as well as Europe, Korea, and Tibet to escape the winter. In summer, more than 62 species of birds including the kingbird, the kingbird, the blue-tailed and the short-tailed warbler, the jay, the gaza and the pitta, the queen bird and the red-billed jay arrive here. With the spring season, birds arrive here from India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia in Southeast Asia. When the winter visitors return to their habitats with the onset of summer, the summer visitors come here by migrating.

Birds that have been traveling hundreds of miles on dangerous journeys die after touching naked electric wires, get into trouble due to obstacles in their flight paths, and are unable to return to their destinations due to climate change, said Dr. Ghanshyam Gurung, Country Representative of WWF Nepal. ‘Climate change is causing problems for feeding the chicks,’ he said, ‘due to this, it has become difficult to hatch the chicks. Another problem has been added after the climate has started changing the breeding season.’

About 40 percent of the more than 11,000 bird species found in the world regularly migrate from one place to another according to the season. Migratory birds fly with the help of the position of the sun and stars, rivers, etc. to identify the direction and path to their destination. The path used by birds during migration is called a flyway. So far, nine such flight paths have been identified in the world. Nepal falls on the Central Asian flyway. Birds travel through these fixed flight paths during migration. The number of birds migrating to Nepal has been decreasing recently.

Even though the birds that come in the summer are not counted, the number of birds that come in the winter is decreasing, said Laxman Paudyal, executive director of the Ornithologists' Association of Nepal and national bird census coordinator. He said that 99,565 water birds of 94 species were counted in 2025 and 90,688 birds of 89 species were counted in 2026.

The census was conducted in 18 major wetlands and 78 small wetlands, rivers, streams and ponds across the country. The migration of water birds has also decreased in the major places in the country where water birds are found, such as Jagdishpur Lake, Koshi Tappu, Barjutal, Chitwan, Banke and Bardiya National Parks and surrounding areas.

Summer visitors are very fond of coming to Nepal. Abroad, day and night are equal, but in Nepal, day is longer than night, so birds are attracted here because they can forage for more time, said ornithologist DB Chaudhary. 'They get a safe place to raise their children and earn a living,' he said, 'There is no competition for foraging.' That is why they are attracted here, he said. However, recently, habitat destruction, forest encroachment, and pollution have made the daily life of birds difficult.

The journeys of migratory birds are very interesting and adventurous. In some cases, they are even miraculous. Ornithologist Krishna Prasad Bhusal said that the Arctic tern, which has a body like a pigeon, is the longest-distance bird in the world. He said that it migrates from the North Pole to the South Pole, covering a distance of about 90,000 kilometers every year. Similarly, the great snipe, a species of bird, can fly continuously at a speed of 97 kilometers per hour, covering a distance of 6,800 kilometers. He said that the bar-tailed godwit can fly for about 10 days without food or rest, covering a distance of 13,000 kilometers, reaching from Alaska to New Zealand.

Similarly, the gannet has been recorded flying from 9,375 meters above the highest peak, Mount Everest, and migrating to Nepal to spend the winter. At high altitudes, oxygen and temperature are very low. Moreover, it is very difficult for animals to fly. Respiratory problems increase at higher altitudes. But how the gannets can fly and come back easily at such a high altitude has surprised and intrigued everyone, said Rajendra Suwal, Head of the WWF Nepal Program Partnership Department. In Nepal, birds migrate from the north in winter through the low valleys between the mountains.

Summer visitors also travel thousands of kilometers to enter Nepal. The cuckoo bird travels about 5,000 kilometers from the African continent along with the pre-monsoon winds. Birds are one of the most important animals that have a close relationship with humans. Birds are considered very important in maintaining the balance of human life, agriculture and the ecosystem. They control insects that damage crops by pollinating and eating grasshoppers and rats, which are the friends of farmers, said Dr. Bhagwan Dahal, the country representative of the Zoological Society of London Nepal office.